By Zephyria There were many things about Jung Ji-in that Song Hyun-soo envied and found impressive, but what he envied most was his friendship with Yoon Joo-ho.
With his handsome face and unique aura, Song Hyun-soo had thought he would become a top actor as soon as he debuted, but the entertainment industry wasn’t easy even for someone like Jung Ji-in. That’s not to say he just floundered. Because his agency was weak, he couldn’t become a top actor, but he grew enough within a few years to take on roles that rivaled Yoon Joo-ho’s.
And soon, he became known as Yoon Joo-ho’s best friend in the entertainment industry.
Due to filming projects and overseas schedules, Yoon Joo-ho was always a busy person with no time to rest. Between projects, he would spend months traveling overseas for large-scale fan meeting tours.
When Jung Ji-in, who rarely went out, decided to meet Yoon Joo-ho during his brief return to Korea, Song Hyun-soo had been so envious.
Actor Yoon Joo-ho.
Technically, they knew each other through one person. A name that had always felt impossibly distant, out of reach.
The fact that this person was now his lover was hard to believe. Even while in his house, in his arms, he couldn’t quite grasp it, and a sense of unease suddenly washed over him.
“But, are we dating?”
“…”
After a brief silence and hesitation, Yoon Joo-ho asked back.
“What kind of question is that?”
“You only mentioned manners for a dating partner, but you never explicitly asked me to date. So, I was wondering if I was just mistaken… Mmph.”
Yoon Joo-ho’s hand shot out through the loose neckline of the t-shirt Song Hyun-soo was wearing as pajamas and covered his lips.
“I thought it was as good as asking to date, and I heard a ‘yes’ in response. Am I the one who’s mistaken? Huh?”
He growled and snapped, squeezing Song Hyun-soo tightly as if threatening him with a gun to his back.
“N-no. It’s not a mistake, it’s not.”
Song Hyun-soo pulled his hand down and repeatedly exclaimed as if declaring surrender. He squirmed in Yoon Joo-ho’s arms, giggling as Yoon Joo-ho playfully poked and bit him all over. He could hear Yoon Joo-ho’s low laughter from behind him, pressed close against his back. Only then did the floating anxiety settle into place, and it felt real.
Yoon Joo-ho, who had stopped teasing, gently pressed and toyed with Song Hyun-soo’s lips. Then he rubbed his lips against the exposed nape of his neck.
“It’s small. It’s uncomfortable.”
“It’s a super single, so it’s enough for one person.”
“It’s cramped for two.”
“…”
Song Hyun-soo glanced over his shoulder. Because of that, Yoon Joo-ho’s hand moved away from his lips.
“What do you mean?”
Yoon Joo-ho met Song Hyun-soo’s eyes for a moment, their breaths nearly touching. Yoon Joo-ho’s phone alarm rang from the side table, presumably on the opposite side.
Yoon Joo-ho pressed his lips firmly against Song Hyun-soo’s nose, then pulled away, stood up, and picked up his phone. Watching his back as he turned off the alarm, Song Hyun-soo also got up.
“Are you saying I should sleep in your room?”
“There’s a large bed downstairs. There’s no need to sleep here. Besides, it’s funny for us to live in the same house and sleep in separate rooms when we’re dating.”
He could have just honestly said he wanted to sleep with me.
Yoon Joo-ho, sitting with his bare back turned, speaking in a listless voice, seemed cute to Song Hyun-soo. Unlike how he had caused so much trouble before they started dating, Yoon Joo-ho was quite direct now that they were officially a couple. It was hard to understand why his past relationships hadn’t worked out.
No, seriously, isn’t this like a 99-point boyfriend?
Yoon Joo-ho, who had gotten out of bed, shoved his phone into the pocket of his pajama pants and looked back at Song Hyun-soo.
“You can come to my bed, or you can huddle up and sleep here. That’s your choice.”
One step forward, one step back. That was Yoon Joo-ho.
“Come down too, so we can get ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“Costume fitting. Come with me.”
“I’m tomorrow.”
Each actor had to fit their actual costumes in the costume team’s workshop. Yoon Joo-ho and Shin Hyo-jin were scheduled for today, while Song Hyun-soo and Han Joo-young were scheduled for tomorrow. Tomorrow was a Saturday, but with the crank-in just around the corner, it wasn’t the time to distinguish between weekdays and weekends.
“On-site experience is always better. Get familiar with the staff by seeing them as often as possible. You can focus on your acting more comfortably when you’re familiar with your surroundings.”
Yoon Joo-ho shrugged his broad shoulders, brushing back his now much longer hair.
“Well, it’s my first movie too, but isn’t that pretty much the same whether it’s a drama or a movie set?”
Song Hyun-soo nodded, got out of bed, and walked towards Yoon Joo-ho. He patted Song Hyun-soo’s cheeks.
“I’m going to raise you properly.”
Then he gave a charming smile.
“So, be prepared and follow me.”
It was a smile that made him want to follow to the very end, even if it led to hell.
Going downstairs, the two first checked if anything had happened to Monroe overnight. The dog was running around with its favorite toy, a carrot plushie, playing healthily. After checking its food and water, Yoon Joo-ho left the door open as they exited the room.
“Aren’t you closing the door?”
“I’m leaving it open while there’s someone home. Once it gets used to it, it can come out.”
The dog, now quite familiar with the two, looked longingly at the carrot plushie as if disappointed that they weren’t playing anymore and left, but it didn’t try to follow them out the door.
Breakfast was Yoon Joo-ho’s bulk-up meal prep lunchboxes stacked in the refrigerator.
“Brisket, salmon, chicken breast, mackerel, cod. There are more varieties than I expected.”
As Song Hyun-soo stood in front of the open refrigerator door, Yoon Joo-ho came up close behind him. Resting his chin on Song Hyun-soo’s shoulder, he pointed at the lunchbox in his lover’s right hand.
“Mine is brisket egg fried rice.”
“Hmm… Then I’ll have the same.”
Yoon Joo-ho murmured, brushing Song Hyun-soo’s hair back from his forehead, tilted his head, lightly bit his earlobe, and pulled away.
“Heat it for 3 minutes and 30 seconds.”
While the microwave was running, Song Hyun-soo’s phone, which had been placed on the island counter, rang. Yoon Joo-ho, who was closer to the coffee machine than Song Hyun-soo, reached it first and checked the caller ID.
Song Hyun-soo picked up his phone and held the screen up for Yoon Joo-ho to see.
“It’s Grandma calling.”
“Who said that?”
“Last time, you asked who was calling even though it was Grandma, and you were suspicious.”
Song Hyun-soo flipped his phone over to silent mode and walked towards the microwave. But Yoon Joo-ho was faster this time too.
“I’ll get it, so take the call.”
“She can call back later.”
“She’ll worry. There’s nothing special going on, just take it.”
Watching Yoon Joo-ho’s back as he took the lunchbox out of the microwave, Song Hyun-soo picked up the phone again.
“Yes, Grandma. It’s me.”
[Why are you still not talking? When are you coming home?]
As soon as the call connected, Grandma got straight to the point.
“Ah… Well, I’ve been so busy looking for a place.”
Walking towards the dining table, Song Hyun-soo glanced back at Yoon Joo-ho behind him. Yoon Joo-ho, having placed the lunchbox on the counter, was putting another lunchbox into the microwave.
[What happened with the house? You need to find one quickly.]
“A senior actor said he has a spare room at his place. So, I decided to move in there. It’s a really nice house.”
[Oh, my, my, how grateful I am!]
Even though she only visited the temple once or twice a year, Grandma thanked Buddha himself.
[He’s not married, is he? You shouldn’t be indebted to someone who’s married.]
“He’s… not married. He’s a senior who lives alone.”
If he were married, it would be a disaster. If he were married and still doing this for me, he’d be a terrible person.
[Should I make some food and send it? Marinated ribs?]
“It’s okay. I’ll try cooking myself.”
[Oh my, what skills do you have? I’m just so grateful.]
“Then I’ll come to your house next Saturday, so at that time…”
[Yes, let’s do that. Okay, next Saturday. Ask him what he likes. I’ll make something he likes.]
The senior who gave his grandson a room, even though he was likely much younger than her, Grandma consistently used polite language. Understanding her feelings, Song Hyun-soo no longer refused Grandma’s offer to send food.
“What did she say?”
Yoon Joo-ho’s voice from behind him jolted Song Hyun-soo back to reality, and he put down his phone.
“Ah… She said she’s going to make food and send it because I’m staying at your place. She asked what you like.”
As Yoon Joo-ho moved the first cooked lunchbox to the table, Song Hyun-soo took out the other lunchbox from the microwave.
“But don’t worry about it. What you like, my Grandma probably doesn’t know how to make…”
“That’s not true.”
“Huh?”
“She’s the one who created kimchi pot rice. She must be a good cook. I’m confident I’ll enjoy whatever she makes.”
“Then… should I ask her to make marinated ribs? My Grandma’s ribs are so tender, they’re a real rice thief.”
“Ribs sound good.”
Song Hyun-soo grinned at Yoon Joo-ho’s words, and Yoon Joo-ho chuckled, seeing him. He thought, ‘He has a mouth that only spews capsaicin, but he can speak so sweetly.’
Song Hyun-soo went behind Yoon Joo-ho, who was placing chopsticks on the table, and hugged his waist.
“What’s this service for?”
“Just because. I don’t understand why someone like you had trouble with relationships.”
Moving to place chopsticks at the seat opposite, Yoon Joo-ho smiled wryly.
“Maybe you didn’t do this for other people.”
Clinging to Yoon Joo-ho’s back as he moved, Song Hyun-soo followed him closely, bothering him, but he didn’t complain. Instead, he brought up a topic he had never imagined.
“Start wrapping up your bar job.”
“The bar? Jessica? Why all of a sudden?”
“Didn’t you hear me say I’m going to raise you properly?”
“Still… if I quit suddenly, it’ll be difficult for the place, and I won’t be able to make a living.”
“Is it because you don’t want to be separated from Jung-ho?”
From behind Yoon Joo-ho’s back, Song Hyun-soo’s face immediately contorted.
“Don’t say disgusting things. Why are you so fixated on Jung-ho since last time? Do you have any money you lent him and haven’t gotten back?”
Yoon Joo-ho looked down at Song Hyun-soo over his shoulder, tutted, and shook his head. Then he pushed Song Hyun-soo’s forehead.
“You’re bad at dating, aren’t you?”
“What are you talking about? I was popular! From 4th grade until I graduated high school, there were almost no times I didn’t have a girlfriend.”
“And you got dumped every time.”
“Why, why is the conversation suddenly going this way?”
“Seeing you stutter, I hit a nerve.”